Their inaugural event, Bollyhood Beats and Brunch, happened last Saturday on a splendid San Francisco afternoon. The eccentric crowd wore campy-chic duds, ranging from rhinestone cowboy and full-on Indian sari, to Turkish belly dancer and sweet-home-Alabama retro. People dined al fresco, sitting on rickety chairs at tiny café tables scattered across the sidewalk on 19th and Mission Street. The quirky, inviting company comprised a colorful backdrop for the main attraction—sumptuous, simple fare.

The sandwiches included the Jesus, Joseph, and Mary—shiitake and trumpet mushrooms with barley, butternut squash purée, garlic kale with caramelized shallots, and avocado on homemade flatbread. One word: holy-mother-of-god. Homemade Hustle also offered the Durty 30—pulled seitan with purple cabbage slaw and sesame aioli on the aforementioned homemade flatbread.

Marika and vegan pancakes go hand-in-hand.

My vagabond friend Marika, back in town from a year hitchhiking through Mexico and Central America, ordered one of the pancake offerings, Mama Said Knock You Out—two vegan “buttermilk” pancakes topped with fresh, seasonal stewed fruit and covered with a whopping dollop of chocolate mousse. Yes, Marika had tears in her eyes—not only because her entrée tasted so good, but because she was too sated to order Fo’ Sho’—Korean pancakes with broccoli, scallions, and kim chi, served with rice vinegar and soy dipping sauce.

A whirlwind of snacks, sweets, and sides rounded out the affair—from Brazilian-NigerianAcarajes to Badankadonk Bread Pudding. What, with terrific folks and tip-top food, Bollyhood Beats and Brunch is sure to become a local, Saturday institution. Three cheers to Babs and Nikole, the brains behind Homemade Hustle!